The Fruits of Summer..

Hi there! Happy Thursday! 

I hope you and yours have enjoyed a happy and healthy week. 

NYC is in full summer mode. 

Check out last night's Bachata dance event in Bryant Park:



It was so fun to stop by after work and dance with people from all walks of life.  
If you're in NYC this summer, be sure to join the dance party in Bryant Park! 
They are featuring a new dance style every week.

PS If you're keeping track, an event like this addresses ALL domains of health! 
Physical: movement, 
Social: interaction, 
Emotional: release, 
Intellectual: stimulation, 
Spiritual: energy, 
Occupational: growth.

Thank you, NYC!


So what's the best part of the summer season for you? 

Some people would say the longer days, the beach or pool, barbecues with friends or traveling on holiday. For many of us, summer=ice cream.

As much as I like to eat clean and healthy, I really can never say no to gelato, ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet; I LOVE IT ALL!

So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a "Tasty" video showing how to make honeydew ice, and the "real life" finished product:


As people point out, the tricky thing about the "Tasty" videos is the lack of measurements and specific instructions. This doesn't really bother me, since I like experimenting in the kitchen, but I will say that you want to use measurements when baking, since individual ingredients can throw off the entire recipe and it's hard to compensate once it's already in the oven. The time I made cookies with too much salt comes to mind!

I didn't have honeydew or lime available, so I used mango, fresh orange, honey and water to make mango ice. Here's the final, DELICIOUS product:



I can see this mango ice working well for families who would like to enjoy a great summer treat without ingesting chemicals and fake dyes normally found in the ice cream that children are attracted to--you know, like the ice cream that turns the tongue blue!

This summer, you might also be thinking of ways to quench your thirst.

Well, here in America, we are BOMBARDED with a variety of drink choices. 

One of my clients texted me this photo, asking for my opinion:



At first glance, it doesn't look too bad, right? The bottle has a picture of a kiwi and apple, it's called "Green Goodness" and it's "packed with antioxidants A &C".

Once you turn the bottle though, it's a whole different story! 


Most alarming is the high sugar content. Remember, there are approximately 2 grams of sugar in a standard sugar packet. So if a person drinking from this bottle of juice were able to limit themselves to just one 8oz glass, they'd essentially be drinking 13 sugar packets! If you look at the ingredients, they're listed by heaviest to lightest, so this drink is pretty much just pineapple and apple juice (from concentrate, indicating sugar has been added-not even fresh!). Last time I checked, pineapple is yellow, not green. So this "Green Goodness" drink does not get the green light from me.

As an alternative, I offered my client the idea of watermelon juice. It doesn't seem to be a popular drink here in the States, but I drank it all the time in Shanghai. 

To make this juice, I blended 3 cups of fresh watermelon with approximately 1 oz of coconut water (produced about 10oz).





My homemade watermelon juice vs bottled juice:

Extra gram each of protein and fiber,

551mg of potassium vs 320mg, 

Higher percentage of vitamin A and C,

Made fresh in about 30 seconds.

As a disclaimer, I recognize that the sugar is still high, but the difference is, it's sugar that's naturally occurring versus sugar that is added in the processing.  An even better alternative would be to use cantaloupe and that would also provide more vitamin A. I just happened to have a whole watermelon in my house, and needed to use it before it went bad! Above all, since it's summer, we should be enjoying fresh fruit and not fruit from a bottle, jar or can!

It takes awhile to play around with the macro/micro nutrients, but it's not hard once you figure out what your body likes/wants/needs. It's also an easier process under the guidance of a holistic wellness coach like myself, wink wink! ;)

This summer, set an intention for yourself to listen to your body, stay close to the earth and as natural as possible. It's a great season to nourish your mind, body and spirit! Namaste!